


Tante

by orphan_account



Category: EverymanHYBRID, Tribe Twelve
Genre: Bonding, Family Reunions, Fighting, M/M, Possession, Resurrection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-05-27 11:57:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6283555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People everywhere are coming back from the dead. Noah doesn't have any idea why, but now all of his "dead" friends and family are alive and are helping him cope with the confusion.</p><p>When Noah and Evan meet again, Noah wants to help him so bad that he would be willing to do... Extreme measures, to save him.</p><p>(Making slight edits to make the story better, and now there is a new beginning.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mary's Backstory

**Author's Note:**

> This work might be a tad confusing at first but it comes together in the end. Basically, everyone who has died in the slenderverse is now alive again, and they are all going to work together to end all the crap thats been happening. Takes place in Noah's point of view, and it's mostly centered around his point of view, but there will be some EverymanHYBRID too.

“Wake Up..”

“Your Life Still Has a Meaning…”

“Don’t give up. Redeem yourself.”

Voices played in Mary’s head. She couldn’t see or feel anything, but she could hear people talking to her. Was this death? 

She felt like she didn’t have a form. Like she was shapeless, or at least not human. She couldn’t feel her own body, as if she were detached from herself.

But as time went on, after what felt like years, it was like the numbness was fading away. She could feel her own body, but she still couldn’t move. She recognized the voice in her head, from somewhere, but she must not heard their voice for a long time.

“Mary.”

 

Her eyes opened with a snap, and she felt a cool breeze hit against her skin. She was laying on her side, on what felt like concrete. For a moment she felt someone else presence, as if someone was standing right behind her, but after a moment the feeling was completely gone. 

 

It was dark outside, and she tried to sit up to get a better look around, but she fell back down almost immediately, groaning in pain. After a moment of bracing herself, she slowly tried again. With great effort and time, she sat up straight.

She felt incredibly nauseous, and she looked down and saw a hole through her shirt right where her stomach was. lifting up her shirt, she saw a healing wound where she had been hit.   
She must have lost a lot of blood, and it still hurt like hell. She had to think for a moment about where she was, but she turned and saw her former house in front of her. It was clearly empty and abandoned. 

Then she remembered what had happened.

Milo.

She got herself to stand up as best she could, and she looked for any sort of way to get out of here besides walking. To her relief, she saw her car parked down the road. It was right by a pond. She searched her pockets quickly and was happy to find her car keys right where they had been before. Just before she started walking towards her car, she remembered something she needed. Her safe.

She turned around, and she started walking towards her house. She was getting better at walking, almost as if the former pain was just a cramp. She headed over to her house, and, happy she still had her house key, opened the door.

The entire house was empty. Dust filled every corner and Mary just stared in shock. All of her stuff was gone. After a moment of processing this, she shook of her surprise. She should have expected this, but was the safe still here?

Probably not.

She headed up towards her room, just in case. She walked up the wooden steps and down the long, narrow hallway, and something felt…. off. She couldn’t figure out what is was though. She found her room door and braced herself to see what was inside. She opened the door and sure enough, it was completely empty. She sighed and opened her closet. Her safe was gone.

She processed this the best she could, but she was still really upset. 

 

Suddenly, a cold chill ran down her spine. It was an all too familiar feeling. She felt practically feverish, and she quickly turned around and rushed towards the window. She almost screamed when she saw Mr. Slim standing right outside in her backyard. She quickly turned and ran out of her room, down the stairs, and right up to the front door. She opened the door and saw that Mr. Slim wasn’t there yet. 

She bolted down towards her car as fast as she could, but she could hear static coming from behind her. She was swiftly being followed by him and she had to get out of here. 

She opened her car and sat inside. Turning it on she switched the gear and drove out of there as fast as she could. As she drove down the road she felt the horrible nauseas feeling slowly go away. She sighed in happiness and thought about where to go. She slowly thought, and then she realized her first step.

Maybe she could head to Noah. He was the only one who was alive and knew about Mr. Slim. 

 

She was going to find out.


	2. Let me help you

"Noah."

 

"S-stay the hell away from me!"

 

Noah pressed his back against the wall, his eyes wide and staring at the woman in front of him. She didn't seem phased by Noah's fear, and she looked rather serious. 

 

"I'm your friend."

 

Noah looked up at her, his eyes slowly changing from fear to anger, and as he started shaking with rage, the woman looked a little worried and concerned.

 

"Your NOT my friend" Noah finally said angrily, " You will never be my friend! You killed him!"

 

She looked sad then. She looked down and her arms swayed a little, her blonde hair moving a little with the motion. Noah's breaths were getting shaky, and she saw tears starting to form in his eyes. Noah slid himself down to the ground and curled up into his knees and shook heavily. After a few moments he started to cry. 

 

"W-why...?"

 

She looked down at him, concerned.

 

"W-why did you do it, Mary? Why did you..."

 

Mary's breathing hitched slightly. She walked slowly to Noah's side and sat down.

 

She tried finally to pat him in the back a little to calm him, but Noah immediately shook from the touch.

 

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

 

Mary flinched back for a second. She looked at him intently, and saw that Noah wasn't shaking in anger, but in stress and fear. The way his breathing was fluctuating, the way he shook uncontrollably, and the way he yelled out in fear, she recognized what was happening.

 

Anxiety attack.

 

She ignored Noah's protest not to and gently rubbed his back. He started shouting again, but he slowly started to crack with every statement.

 

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM?"

 

"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL HIM?!"

 

"HE WAS THE ONLY ONE I LOVED!"

 

"W...Why... I... Miss him... So much...."

 

She hugged him then. Noah almost seemed to forget who she was and buried his face into her shoulder and cried. He tried to speak, but all that came out were sobs. Mary ran a hand through his soft hair and made small noises. Noah's breathing was slowly getting better, and Mary closed his eyes with her hand and kept trying to calm him. Noah finally spoke after a moment. 

 

"How... How are you here...?"

 

Mary blinked slowly and told him the honest truth.

 

"I woke up at my old house. I don't know how, but I was alive. I figured the best place to go was here, since you're the only other living person who would understand."

 

Noah didn't speak again. He slowly calmed down and let go of his built up anxiety. 

 

"Noah."

 

Noah looked up at her this time. He actually listened. 

 

"I know I'm not the greatest person. I know I hurt you and Milo. But... I want to help you. I want to help fix what has happened. You and me... We are the only ones left."

 

Noah nodded slowly and let her slowly hold him in her arms and gently pat his back. 

 

"No resistance this time... Good, I don't want you getting a heart attack."

 

Noah laughed a little at the little joke, and Mary noticed how drowsy he sounded. She slowly picked Noah up and stood up before walking towards the couch. She assumed Noah didn't really like sleeping in his room anymore, too many bad memories.

 

Noah looked confused, but he didn't resist. She walked up to the couch and set him down. His half lidded eyes were slowly lowering , and when Mary came back to him with a blanket, he was fast asleep.

 

She smiled softly at him, gently tucked the blanket around him and sat down on the armchair next to the couch. As she curled up and started falling asleep, she could have sworn she saw a smiling figure in the corner of the room. Pinhole eyes started at her, but when she blinked, it was gone.

 

She closed her eyes and let herself slip into deep sleep.

 

 

Mary woke slowly to the smell of tea steeping in a cup. She heard a small clank of a cup being set down on the small table next to her. She opened her eyes drowsily. She saw a small cup of chai next to her. She looked the other way and saw Noah looking at her with an unreadable expression. "It's your favorite.. Right?" Noah said finally. Mary nodded, then her expression slowly turned confused. "How did you know that?" She said in a silly tone. Noah chuckled before his face turned serious as he said "uhhh... Milo told me..." Mary blinked, before making a small 'hmm' in her throat and nodding. She picked up the chai, determining it was just right to drink, and sipped at it slowly. It was good. Really, really good. Before she even realized it, the entirety of the tea was gone. She looked at it, checking to make sure she drank it all, and set it back down on the table next to her.

 

"Hey, Mary?"

 

Mary looked at Noah, who seemed a little nervous about something. 

 

"Yeah?"

 

Noah blinked slowly. Mary saw that he was getting more nervous the more he thought about it.

 

"Did you see someone last night?"

 

"Why?"

 

"Well, I though I saw someone just before falling asleep." 

 

Mary looked scared. "Yeah, some guy with pinhole eyes."

 

Noah looked confused. "Oh... I didn't see that, he was on the other side of the room, and he had a theatre mask on. I think it was Swain."

 

"Swain?"

 

"Yeah, he's one of The Collective members..."

 

"Oh."

 

Noah looked confused for a moment, before stretching slightly and getting up with his empty cup of tea and took Mary's cup with him to the sink. Mary pondered at why Noah looked so confused as she listened to the water running. When the water turned off she expected Noah to come back. 

 

But he didn't.

 

Mary waited. And waited. And waited. After 15 minutes of this she got up and decided to see what he was doing. He wasn't in the kitchen, or the bathroom. Or the tv room. Mary suddenly became frantic. What if Mr. Slim took him again? Was something he said or did against their rules? What if it was because of Mary?

 

Oh god. Where was he? She bolted up stairs and looked in the other bathroom. No. The attic? No.

 

Suddenly, a scream. 

 

It came from just down the hall. Noah's room.

 

She ran over to the door and when she tried to open it, the doorknob wouldn't turn. It was locked. She kept trying until she realized it wouldn't open. "Noah?" She called out. She pushed her head up against the door and heard a small whimpering noise from the other side. She was going ballistic. She tried kicking the door open, but that didn't work either. Finally, she knew what to do. 

 

She ran downstairs and got two long, thin metal bars from the kitchen. Maybe they were for steak or something. She ran back upstairs to the door again. This time she put the bars into the lock and picked it open. She heard a click, and she knew she did it right.

 

When she pushed to door open she nearly fainted. Noah laid there, cuts and bruises all over his body, and blood all over him. His eyes were closed, and there was a message on the wall.

 

SHE CANT HELP YOU

 

Mary ran over to Noah's side and shook him up. He winced slightly and she realized he was still awake. He was dying fast. She looked around frantically and saw Noah's phone laying on his nightstand. She ran over and picked it up. Thank god there was no passcode. She dialed the hospital as fast as she could while trying to keep Noah awake. 

 

"911 what is your emergency?"


	3. Hospital Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah gets visited by an old friend.

Noah's entire world was black. 

He was in a dark void, with no light, and no sound. He took a few steps and heard a loud echo coming from his own footsteps. He didn't know why, but he tried to call out to the nothingness, for whatever reason it made him feel a little bit better. "Hello?" he called out. Surprisingly, a voice actually responded.

"Noah!" 

It was Mary's voice. Calling to him. He immediately followed the sound as fast as he could. As he kept walking, he saw Mary's figure appear slowly. She looked sad.

"Follow me." she said softly, holding her hand out. He took her hand and she started to walk, guiding him through the darkness. Noah saw a tiny white light in the distance. They got closer and closer, until the light was unbearable. It completely surrounded them, and Noah saw it. That.. Being, of unimaginable terror. He screamed out.

But no one came.

Gravity hit him then. He felt his head hit a soft pillow. Wait, Pillow?

His eyes snapped open. White walls were around him. He saw medical equipment next to him, and a breathing chamber was on his mouth. He blinked slowly, looking around. No one was inside the room with him, but he felt like someone was watching him regardless. He looked towards the corner of his room and saw a shadow.  
A shadow that shouldn't be there. 

It was shaped like a person, standing and looking at him, but nothing was creating the shadow. Oh god, it was one of them. Which one was it? If it was anyone but Firebrand, he would probably scream. The figure slowly started to come OUT OF THE WALL. It was incredibly strange to watch, and after a few seconds, one of the collective members was standing right in front of his bed. It wasn't the Observer OR Firebrand...

Noah stared at him, frozen in fear. So much for screaming. But something in his head told him not to. Something told him this one was safe. 

Suddenly the figure was right in front of Noah's face. He was on the bed, on his hands and knees, his face about a foot away from Noah's, and he stared right at him.

Noah was going to say something, but he stopped himself. The figure had a ponytail, and scars all across his arms. There was a single scar running across his cheek. Noah gasped and his eyes widened when he realized who it was.

"M-Milo? Is tha-"

Noah was cut off when the other man put a finger on his lips, before nodding quietly.

Noah was so shocked to see Milo right in front of him. He was so close to him, it was scary. 

Noah could breathe of course, but he got just a little nervous from the closeness. What was he going to do?

Milo's hand gently covered Noah's eyes, And Noah's breathing hitched slightly out of nervousness.

The visit was over too fast,and when Milo backed, Noah whimpered a little, wanting to see him. Milo slowly removed his hands, and when Noah opened his eyes, the breathing chamber was back on his face, and Milo was gone.

He looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

Had he been dreaming? 

Noah groaned slightly and looked upwards, who knows, it might not even have been Milo.

 

Sighing, Noah looked back down to see Mary standing in the doorway, concerned. Noah made a small noise of happiness to see her again.  
Mary walked over to him and sat next to him on the bed. "Are you okay?" She asked finally. Noah slowly nodded. "Do you think you can come home?" Mary asked. Noah moved his feet, then his hands. He nodded, not feeling any pain anymore. "Okay.." Mary said softly. She walked out of the room, presumably to tell the nurses that he could leave. Noah waited for a few minutes, and he closed his eyes, relaxing his muscles and letting his breathing slow.

 

When Noah's eyes opened, he was in yet ANOTHER place.He was in the front seat of a car, and he saw Mary driving him home. He was wrapped up in a blanket like a burrito and his hair was all messy. He was in a fetal position an curled up into the car seat. He yawned slowly and stretched, but not too much. He didn't want to uncover himself and make himself cold. He was perfectly warm now and he wasn't going to change that. The car slowed to a stop, and Mary got out of the car. Noah was going to move but Mary opened up the other door on his side and picked him up. Noah couldn't believe he was so light. Mary unexpectedly chuckled out of nowhere. 

"You know how cute you look right now, right?"

Noah glared at her as she opened the front door. She struggled to close the door since her hands were occupied, but she was able to close it after a moment. She set Noah down on the couch. Noah was going to sleep but Mary kept him awake by shaking him. "You need to eat." She said, smiling. He blinked slowly as Mary walked into the kitchen and came back about ten minutes later with a bowl of salad. Noah nimbly took it in his hand and ate it slowly. Mary watched him while he did. Not that Noah minded or anything, but it was a little strange. Oh well.

When he was done with it Mary took it away,came back and sat next to him. Noah looked at her, but he saw someone behind her. It was Firebrand. He looked angry with them, his eyes glaring at him and a frown on his face. Noah tapped Mary secretly so Firebrand wouldn't see. She looked up at him and he signaled for her to turn around. She whipped around and saw Firebrand a few feet away from her. Her eyes widened and Firebrand realized that Noah had tricked him.

 

He hissed at the two humans angrily and jumped on Mary, scratching her face hard with claws Noah could have sworn he didn't have. Mary made a loud cry and Noah ran over to him and pushed him off. Firebrand retaliated by smacking Noah dead on the face with the force of a giant. Noah stumbled backwards and fell right in front of the kitchen. Firebrand had his attention turned back to Mary, who was crying hysterically and shaking with fear. Noah saw the drawers with his silverware in it and he quickly opened it and got a large knife from it. Closing it carefully, Noah hid the knife behind his back. He pretended that his arm was wounded.

He pretended to limp towards Firebrand until he got close enough. Firebrand looked up too late. Noah swung the knife as fast as he could. It got Firebrand right across the face. Firebrand's head was swung back, and he slowly touched the wound with his face, processing what just happened. He slowly turned back towards Noah, burning rage in his eyes. Noah held the knife firmly, clearly implying that he would not be afraid to hurt him again.

Firebrand clearly wasn't afraid from the threat, and he grabbed Noah by the collar of his shirt and held his hand a foot away from his face. Noah didn't understand what he was doing, but after a moment fire starting forming in the palm of his hand. Noah struggled and swung the knife again, but Firebrand grabbed Noah's hand.  
Noah glared at Firebrand as his hand, and therefore, the fire, came closer. "Why are you doing this? I thought we were allies!" Noah cried out. Firebrand glared back at him and grunted. "YOU may be, but not her." Noah struggled and twisted Firebrand's wrist, giving him just enough time to bring the knife forward. 

The knife was plunged into Firebrand's chest. Firebrand cried out with pain and let go of Noah and the fire died off his hands. There wasn't any blood.  
After a few moments, Firebrand was gone, just as soon as he came.


	4. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah has 'battle' scars.

Noah stumbled backwards, knife still in hand. 

Mary had the strength to slowly get up and gently coax Noah into giving her the knife. She went into the kitchen and put it back before gently taking Noah and calming his shaking body. He finally stopped shaking and let Mary sit him down on the couch. 

"I..I stabbed him.."

"It's alright. He didn't die. He didn't bleed."

 

"But..."

"Shhhh" She said softly.

"Mary?"

Mary looked up at him.

"When can I take off these bandages?"

He finally noticed all the bandages all over him. From the hospital.

"Tomorrow."

Noah silenced himself and leaned into her, breathing slowly. She didn't say anything about it, but once Noah fell asleep on her shoulder, she moved his head to the pillow and covered him in the blankets, despite how mean it was to move him, he would be more comfortable on the couch.

She eventually found herself walking upstairs and into Noah's room. It was still messy from the previous incident, but there wasn't any blood or anything that could make her not want to be in here. She was curious to see what was in here exactly.

She saw his messy looking desk, covered in papers and other things, like books and pencils. Under the desk there was a small safe that was locked with a dial. She wondered what was inside. 

His laptop was on top of his bed, along with a book by Stephen Hawking. His phone was still there too.

It looked like he was getting a lot of text messages.

She would tell him about it in the morning.

Something clicked in her brain when she thought back to his safe though. She had a safe too, didn't she? Noah would need some of the things in there. But then, her mind started to flood with questions.

Where was it? It clearly wasn't at her house anymore, and since she first woke up at her old house she hadn't thought about it again. Maybe... Sharon? Maybe Sharon had it?

This had to wait till morning.

 

 

"Mmmm..."

Noah woke up feeling calm but incredibly tired. He woke himself up and yawned, feeling comfy. This blanket... Where ever Mary got it, it was his new favorite.

Speaking of which, where was she?

On perfect timing, Mary walked down the steps, rubbing her eyes. Did she fall asleep in Noah's room? He chuckled. She looked at him and smiled, before yawning and walking over to his couch. She sat down and handed him his phone. He looked at his phone, confused for a moment before taking it. He turned it on and saw a ton of text messages from Vinny. His eyes widened when he read them.

'Noah Oh my god'

'I don't know HOW or WHY but Jeff and Alex and Steph and everyone else is here'

'They are supposed to be dead'

'Me and Evan are elated, but none of them even know how they got here'

'Has this happened to you or is it just us??'

Noah smiled, happy that he wasn't the only one, and texted him back.

'Well, Ive seemed to have found my dead aunt, so i suppose so. The Collective isn't too happy about it though'

'The Collective?'

'The creepy shadow people that follow me around'

'oh'

'Do you want to meet up later?'

Noah read the text a few times, confused

'Why?'

'I'd feel a lot better if i was talking to someone who was going through this with me."

'Ok.'

 

Noah put his phone down and looked at Mary. She looked right back. Noah spoke in a silly New Jersey accent "I Guess We's goin' to New Joisey~"


	5. Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to New Jersey.
> 
>  
> 
> EMH and DH00 Crossover

Mary was sleeping when they landed in Princeton. Noah felt kinda bad waking her up, but she was happy to get out of that horrible airplane. Maybe she was claustrophobic? 

Noah and Mary walked out of the airport, luckily not holding any baggage. They didn't need anything. 

"Okay, we need to look for Vinny's car..." Noah said, looking around observantly. "Look for a guy with short hair, a badass beard, and black glasses." Mary laughed. What an interesting description.

Noah kept looking for the car, but he didn't see it anywhere. Unlike Mary, he knew what their car looked like. After a moment, Noah pointed at a car in the distance, driving towards them.

"There they are." Noah said, relieved that he found them.

Mary looked at the car and saw that Vinny's description was perfect. A gut with short hair, a badass beard, and black glasses. Huh.

When the car pulled up the window to the passengers seat rolled down and Mary saw another man on the other side. He had chin length brown hair and a black shirt on. He looked like he was trying to hide sadness behind a happy look. His eyes gave it all away.

"Noah! How're you doing?" The man said in a happy voice. "Open the back door, will ya, Jeff?

The back door opened and they both got in, Noah in-between Mary and Jeff. Jeff was smiling happily, not a single ounce of hidden sadness in his eyes. Mary would have to ask Noah about this later. One looked sad, the others didn't. It was weird. 

Then the car was driving. They didn't drive like psychopaths, to Mary's surprise. Looks like that New Jersey stereotype wasn't totally right. Not that it was a bad thing, Mary preferred not to die in car crashes, thank you very much.

After about a half an hour, they stopped at what Noah said was Vinny's house. They all clambered out of the car, Evan helping Noah get out because of the snow that he wasn't used to. Mary was probably just being weird, but she couldn't help that Evan looked.. Strange, when he looked at Noah. His eyes darted around, and dilated once he caught sight of him. Mary smirked. Looks like Noah was popular with 'Everyman'.

 

Bad puns aside.

 

Noah and Mary walked into the house, carefully so that they wouldn't trip. The others just laughed. They were used to the snow.  
When they got inside, they were relieved to feel heat hit their skin again. Everything about this house screamed was in warm colors. The paint, the furniture, everything. Mary sighed, contempt and calm now that they were inside. "Vin's got an area set up for our 'Serious Talk'" Evan said jokingly. Noah chuckled, and Mary saw his face go a little red. Dear Lord, looks like romance was blooming. She mentally face palmed at how obvious it was, and how no one else noticed. They all took of their shoes and walked out of the enormous entryway and into the 'Serious Talk Room', as Evan called it. Noah kept laughing, despite how bad Evan's jokes were. Although Mary noticed that it lightened up Evan's eyes a little bit, so Mary wasn't going to have a problem with it. 

Maybe Noah saw it too.

How sad he was.

Evan was talking to him about random things that have happened recently, Like how everyone was cool with what some guy called 'HABIT' did, except for his old Girlfriend, Steph. Steph apparently hated everyone now, and she broke up with Evan and moved back into her own apartment. "What a jerk. You're awesome." Noah said cheerfully. Evan seemed much happier when he heard that.

It was like the entire world was making sure nothing went wrong with these two.


	6. Can't run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something finds Noah.

Noah and Evan were in the upstairs room. They were previously going to go to sleep, but Evan started playing video games and Noah was too paranoid to sleep.

Mary was sleeping in the guest bedroom, but Evan let Noah into his room because the couch downstairs was not a very comfortable place to sleep.

Noah thanked him time and time again but after a while Evan started cracking jokes and after a while the subject finally changed.

Noah was curled up comfortabley into the blankets, watching Evan play Bioshock and listening to Evan swearing every time he died. Noah would laugh almost every time from his facial expression. 

"Oh my F--KING GOD!"

"Evan."

"Did you SEE that BS!??"

"EVAN."

"He SWANG his F--KING wrench at me!!!"

"EVAN!"

Evan looked over at Noah, who was tired of the yelling, and slowly calmed down. He sighed, and Noah wasn't laughing this time.

"Sorry." Evan said after a moment. Noah patted his back reassuringly and laid back down.Evan rubbed his eyes. It was 1:24 in the morning, and he was finally getting tired.

Evan turned off his Xbox and laid down by Noah. Noah grunted a little and pulled the covers over them.

They laid in the silence, in the dark, trying to go to sleep, but after a moment, Evan saw Noah shake a little. He must be paranoid. Who wouldn't be? 

Evan thought of something to calm him down, but he quickly shook the thought away. He didn't want to freak Noah out.

Yet the more he was thinking about it, the more plausible it seemed. After a few minutes, Evan scooted closer to Noah until his chest was almost touching Noah's back and gently let his head push into Noah's neck a little.

Noah made a small noise of surprise, but after a moment, he turned his entire body to face him and buried himself into Evans chest, breathing slowly and calmly.

Evan's mouth hung open in surprise a bit, and he didn't know what to do. Once the slight shock wore off, he gently wrapped his arms around Noah's back and let his head rest right on the top of Noah's head. Noah shifted a little to get comfortable and slowly let his eyes droop close again.

All the sounds were slowly fading out of his ears, echoing slightly as he slipped into sleep. It was like slowly falling down a cliff and hearing all the noises above fade.

A crack sounded off not too far away from him, and he tried to open his eyes, but it was like they were glued shut. He heard shuffling coming towards him, it sounded like some some sort of animal. 

He couldn't move. 

After a few moments, all the heat that he felt from Evans body was gone. It was cold, and it felt like a breeze was hitting his ear. He once again tried to open his eyes, and this time, they surprisingly snapped open. He was laying in a field of grass, and trees surrounded him in every direction. He could still only move his eyes, but hey, it was something.

 

The shuffling noise was close now, and he could hear a demonic growl to his right. His eye quickly shifted over to the source of the noise, and he wished that he hadn't opened his eyes. 

A creature was right in front of him. It wasn't like The Tall Man, because it didn't look even remotely human. It was grey, and it didn't seem to have any hair. Black, charcoal eyes stared at him, and a large claw was sticking out of one of his hands. It came closer and closer until it's face was almost touching Noah. 

It whispered to him, a demonic and low voice, yet quiet.

"Noah..."

Noah tried to struggle, but not an inch of him would obey him. The creature almost seemed to chuckle.

"You want to help them..."

Noah looked at it straight in the eyes and shivered without his control.

"Find Corenthal, and he will save them, but if you don't...."

The sickly creature smiled manically.

"HABIT will kill them... And you will be alone once again."

The creature brought his head away from Noah. After a moment it's eyes widened and it started laughing. A multi toned, blood curdling shriek of laughter. 

Noah closed his eyes, and with effort, he screamed. Screamed so loud his ears felt like he was going to die.

And with that, he snapped back to reality.

Noah's eyes opened, and tears were streaming down his face. Evan was shaking him roughly. 

"NOAH!!"

Evan seemed to be crying too from the worry for his friend. Noah looked up at him, his vision blurry from the tears. Noah was shaking violently and he blinked slowly. His breath was heavy, his throat was sore, and Evan looked terrified.

Noah hugged him as hard as he could, and Evan wasn't phased by it this time. He wrapped his arms back around him and gripped him protectively. Noah sobbed loudly into Evans chest and tried hard not shake too much. 

"Shhh... It's okay Noah. Your safe. It's me. Just me. It's Evan. Everything is fine, your still here."

Noah barely heard what he said, but after a moment he slowly stopped shaking. His tears became lighter, but his grip also tightened. Finally, after what felt like hours, Noah had calmed down completely.

Evan slowly pulled away just enough to wipe Noah's tears away, and he kept his arms around Noah's waist. Noah's eyes flickered slowly and he closed his eyes, calming himself and clearing his head. 

Evan looked down at Noah and finally spoke. "What happened?" 

Noah looked up at him and stuttered a detailed response of what happened.

"I was sleeping. I wasn't able to move anything at first, but after a while I could open my eyes. There was some.... THING next to me, and I was alone with it on some field of grass. It... Whispered things to me... Things about you. About everyone. And it started laughing and I couldn't do anything and it was so scary and-"

Evan cut him off when he realized Noah was starting to get worked up. He put a finger onto his lips, and Noah sighed.

"It talked about.... All of us?"

"Yeah.."

Evans eyes flickered brightly after a moment, like a flame, and he shuffled closer to him and wrapped the blanket around Noah, despite it being a huge blanket. Noah almost looked like a cocoon except for his head. Noah blinked and readjusted himself to make him comfortable. 

Finally, Evan spoke. "What did it look like?"


	7. Explanation Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh, there's some NSFW Noah/Evan at the end of this one, so be warned.

"Vinny!"

Vinny woke up to the sound of Evans voice at the other side of his bedroom door. He stretched his arms before clambering out of bed towards the door. He opened it and the hallway light flashed in to his eyes, much to his dismay. Evan was standing there, waiting for him. "Evan, it's 3 in the morning. What could be so important-"  
"Do you remember when Alex told you about that hairless creature? Like how he said that it talked to him?"

Vinny paused. Why was this important? Did it happen to him again? "Uh.. Yeah, I remember. What's it got to do with anything?" 

"I was woken up about a half an hour ago from Noah screaming his lungs out in his sleep, and long story short, he told me that a gray hairless creature spoke to him. About US. He was crying so hard, I didn't know what to do." Vinny completely stiffened. After a moment he let out a small sigh. "Alright, what did it tell him?" Evan gulped a little and pulled at the collar of his shirt in nervousness. He didn't really want to say, but there wasn't another option. "He... He said that... He had to find somebody, otherwise HABIT would come back and kill us all."

A long silence came between them, long, disturbing silence. After a while, Vinny spoke. 

"Get him out of here."

"Wha-"

"He has to go Ev. I haven't seen that damn thing for years, and if Noah's going to bring that creature to him, I don't want him to be with us."

Vinny closed his door and locked it, and Evan stood alone in the hallway once again.

Well, Vinny was pissed. But if Noah was going, so was he. 

 

"Hey, Noah?"

Noah, who had been half asleep for about 10 minutes, turned over to see Evan standing in the doorway. Noah made a small humming noise to show he was listening. "Uh... We should probably... Go to my house for a little bit." 

Noah cocked an eyebrow for a moment, but decided not to question Evan about it right now. His face looked pale and sad, and Noah preferred not to make it worse. "What about Mary?" Noah asked after a second. Evan thought for a second, before adding "She's coming too."

 

They both walked down the stairs and went towards the guest room. But when they opened the door, they found the room empty. Mary was gone. "Huh?" Noah exclaimed in confusion. He walked over to the bed and saw a note on the bed, with a little bit of black liquid on one of the corners.

MARY DOESNT NEED TO BE HERE WITH YOU GUYS RIGHT NOW, BUT DONT WORRY, I DIDN'T HURT HER :)

Noah's heart stopped. He turned to Evan and gave him the note. Evan started shaking with anger, and he closed his eyes before clenching his hands and crumpling up the note. "Habit did something to her.." Evan said angrily. Noah nodded. He pulled out his cellphone and tried dialing her number, but it didn't even go through. "I guess we have to go without her." Evan said finally. Noah nodded sadly and followed Evan to the front door of Vinnys house and out to Evans car.

 

Noah woke suddenly, and saw that the car had parked in front of Evans house. Noah stretched and Evan chuckled a little. "I'm sorry we had to leave so early." Noah shook his head and made a little swatting motion. "Nah. It's no big deal." 

They both opened their car door and got out, letting the cold winter air fill their nostrils. Shivering, Evan unlocked the door to his house and opened the door as fast as he could to escape the cold. They walked inside and Evan flicked the lights on. Noah looked around. It was a really nice house. He remembered it a little from when HABIT teleported him here, but it was still a little new to him. 

Evan plopped down on the couch and Noah did the same. After a moment a devilish smirk came across Evans face. He laid down so that Evans legs were on each side of where Noah sat. Noah blushed a little and Evan gently tugged his hair, beckoning him to lay on his chest. It only resulted in Noah moaning softly from the contact before covering his mouth with his hands. Noah's face turned a deep shade of red and Evan was taking it to his advantage. He sat back up and slipped his arms around Noah's waist before pulling him in and kissing him. Noah's eyes were wide like hockey pucks, but after a moment he found himself getting lost in the foreign contact. He closed his eyes slowly and kissed back. They pulled away and they looked at each other in a new light.

Evan tugged Noah's hair again and he moaned a little louder. "E-Ev." Noah started, but he was cut of from a kiss on his neck. "Mmm.." Noah hummed softly. Evan kissed different spots all over his neck until he found the right spot and bit down gently. "A-ahhh..." Noah moaned, shuddering. Evan wanted to keep going so badly, and Noah clearly wasn't rejecting. Evan slipped Noah's shirt off and at this point they weren't even thinking clearly anymore. He slowly slid his hands down Noah's chest, causing Noah to shiver a little. After doing this a few times, Evan gently starting kissing his bare chest, teasing him and playing with him. Finally after making Noah wait he brought his lips around one of Noah's nipples and sucked on it roughly. Noah moaned and his hips bucked forward against his will. He gasped loudly when he felt Evan nibble at it gently.

Evan pushed Noah down so that he was on top of Noah and he slowly unbuttoned Noah's jeans, making Noah's face even more red. He undid his zipper and threw Noah's jeans to the side. Noah closed his eyes, unable to look out of embarrassment. Evan noticed and chuckled. "It's okay, Noah. You're beautiful." Noah blushed even harder at those words but he opened his eyes again. 

Evan slowly brought his hands down and teased Noah through his boxers. Noah moaned loudly and let his head go back slightly. "Do you want these off?" Evan asked, playing with the top of Noah's boxers. Noah nodded, blushing and panting slightly. Evan smirked and tugged them off, finally setting Noah free. Evan took in the sight of Noah and almost drooled. He slid one finger across Noah and he shivered violently, hissing a little from between his teeth. After a moment Evan used one hand to wrap around him and pump him hard. Noah's hips bucked forward again and he groaned loudly. Evan kept at a steady pace, earning more sounds from Noah for a few more minutes, before stopping.

Noah looked up at him, and slowly reached towards Evan. Evan was confused for a second before realizing what he was doing. Noah undid Evans jeans and tried to slide them off, but he couldn't in his position. Evan did him the favor of taking them and his boxers off for Noah. Noah blushed deeply and gulped a little before Evan flipped him over into his hands and knees. Before Noah knew what was going on, Evan pushed 2 fingers into Noah. Noah gasped loudly at the intrusion, before moaning loudly and loosening around Evans fingers. After a minute or so Evan pulled out, making Noah whimper. He wanted more. Evan lined himself up with Noah's entrance and quickly pushed himself in. "AAHH!" Noah cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain, tensing up slightly to a feeling he had never even felt before. Then Evan was moving, and, oh god, Noah could hardly resist screaming in pure delight. Evan went slow at first, but he started going faster and Noah clenched his fist into the cushions and moaned when he felt his climax building up. Evan started going faster and faster, and with one last push, right into Noah's sweet spot, they both came hard. They both moaned loudly and panted for about 10 seconds before slowly calming down. Evan pulled himself out and Noah laid down on his back. Evan quickly flipped them over and let Noah fall onto his chest. "Mmmm, Evan..." Evan looked down at him. "Yes, Noah..?"

"I love you..."

Evan blinked slowly before responding. "I love you too." 


	8. Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He has to leave

"Mmmm..."

Noah stirred slowly, his eyes opening and adjusting to the light from the lamps. He looked up and saw Evan, snoring quietly. They were both comfortably warm and comfy, and Noah let it stay like that. Evan had his hands wrapped around Noah's chest protectively, and Noah smiled. After a moment he slowly got of the couch and wrapped Evan into a large blanket so he would still be warm. Noah found his clothes and put them back on before turning back towards Evans sleeping body. Evans eyes twitched and Noah waited for him to wake up, but once Evan's eyes opened he stopped himself from doing anything. Something was... Off. Evans gaze was blank, and his mouth didn't move. After staring for a few moments, a twisted smile came across his face. Noah's eyes widened and he quickly walked into the bathroom, hoping that Evan was just acting up for a second. He looked into the mirror and saw himself, sleepy and pale. Noah yawned and waited for a while before leaving the bathroom again out of slight fear. After a while he realized that he shouldn't be scared. What kind of asshole has sex with someone and wakes up the next day terrified of them? Noah sighed.

He walked back out into the living room and saw Evan wearing a new set of clothes and a fedora. He was standing, faced away from him and looking at the mess they made last night. Noah blushed and tried to speak. "Evan...?" 

Evan turned to look at Noah and he saw that Evan still had that sick smile on his face. Noah tried chuckling to get into the 'happy' mood that Evan was suddenly in. "Noah." He said. Noah gasped slightly. That wasn't Evans voice anymore. No. It was demonic, and possibly evil. Noah gulped and looked up at him in fear when he realized that this wasn't Evan at all. This was HABIT.

"Looks like you two had fun." HABIT said sarcastically, laughing a little maniacally. He clapped his hands together and moved towards Noah. "I didn't know you felt something for this one" HABIT said, looking at one of his hands and chuckling. Noah nodded slightly and shook in fear of what HABIT was going to do. He was close to Noah now, and he seemed to be examining Noah closely. Noah's breathing got irregular and he starting shaking harder. HABIT smiled dementedly. "You scared?" 

"Yes."

HABIT's smile faded slightly. "Well, at least you're honest. I suppose you want Evan back right?" Noah nodded and HABIT laughed at the obvious answer. "How about this... I'll make you a deal." Noah eyed him suspiciously. "What kind of deal?" Noah asked him, perplexed. "Well, you see,  
Without Evan I would need someone else, someone more.." He looked up at Noah. "Interesting."

Noah realized what he wanted and he nodded. HABIT chuckled, realizing how quickly Noah understood what he wanted. "Now, I realize you want to help Evan, so, if you let me inhabit, say, you, I won't ever touch Evan again." 

Noah thought for a moment, he weighed all of his choices and after a minute, he knew what to say. "Deal?" HABIT asked, holding his hand out. Noah quietly sighed and braced himself before looking at HABIT's hand and shaking it timidly. 

"....Deal."


	9. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan goes looking for Noah.

Evan woke on the couch, completely alone. The couch was clean, Evan was clothed, and Noah was gone. Evan looked around, confused. 

His house was eerily quiet, in fact, it was completely silent. Evan quickly got off the couch and looked outside. Footprints led into the snowy forest near his house. What the hell was Noah doing out there? Evan went back inside and put on a jacket and a hat before going back outside to follow the footprints.

Before Evan knew it, he was out in the middle of the woods with no way to tell how much farther away Noah was. He kept walking though. For Noah. What if he was in danger? What if he was taken? Evans pace quickened and his heart started racing with worry. 

Finally, Evan found himself in a clearing, surrounded by trees. It was covered in snow, and Evan suddenly heard a chuckle up ahead. He looked up to see...Noah?

Noah stood in front of him, wearing a long sleeved blue shirt and dark colored jeans with sneakers. Which wasn't what he wore yesterday. Evans breathing hitched when he saw a ....Rabbit mask, on his face..?

"Noah? What are you doing out here?" Noah laughed, and Evan's heart stopped when he realized that Noah wasn't himself anymore. "Oh, you know, just having a little walk, out in the woods." Noah said, trying to sound innocent, but Evan knew something was wrong. "What's with the mask?" Noah smiled maniacally. "Does it matter?" Evan stayed silent and that somehow encouraged 'Noah' to laugh again. "Oh, dear. Too bad you didn't have a say in the deal." Evan's face contorted with fear. "What...deal...?" 

 

Maniacal laughter surrounded him, and Noah's laughter changed slowly, becoming demonic and distorted. "Noah gave himself to ME. Don't you see?" Evan looked up at who he once thought was Noah and glared. "Who are you then?!"

"Take a guess, Rabbit." He said before breaking out into a demented cackle that Evan knew belonged to HABIT. Evan tried to swing at him, but HABIT caught Evans hand and smirked. "Noah did this to himself willingly. To save you." Evans eyes widened and tears fell slowly down his face. "No....no no no no no...." Evan buried his face in his hands and cried. HABIT just smiled at him, through the mask that covered Noah's once kind face. "You know, he loves you a lot. Too bad he'll be stuck with me forever." Evan pushed him down and jumped on top of him. "Give. Him. BACK!" Evan screamed at him. HABIT easily pushed him off with inhuman strength and pinned him up against a tree. "Then fight."

 

Evan swung his fist and punched him in the face, making him stagger a little, and making his mask crack at the bottom. Evan gasped. He had hurt HABIT, yes, but what if he hurt Noah, too? HABIT retaliated and kicked Evan in the groin, making Evan cry out in pain and fall over in an instant. He quickly sprung back up and punched him harder and in the gut, knocking the wind out of HABIT temporally. HABIT smiled, blood falling down his mask and down his neck. "Fine. I have better things to do at the moment. But i'll be back, Rabbit."

The light in HABIT's eyes faded, and the rabbit mask disappeared. Noah's eyes slowly closed and he collapsed in the snow. Evans eyes widened and he rushed over to Noah in a heartbeat. 

"Noah! Noah wake up!"


	10. Sleep, I guess.

Evan sat next to the couch where Noah was sleeping. He still hadn’t woken up yet, but Evan would be there until he did.

Bandages covered Noahs cheek and stomach. 

Sometimes Noah would toss and turn a little and Evan would keep thinking that he was waking up, but Noah would only reposition himself. He seemed to be having a nightmare. Evan’s hand was gently resting on Noah’s side, and Evan patiently waited, sighing.

Suddenly, a ring came through Noah’s phone. Evan picked it up and saw an unknown number calling his phone. since Evan had nothing else to do, he picked it up. “Hello?” A womans voice said from through the phone. It was Mary. “Uh, Mary? How are you calling right now? Where are you?”  
“Im calling through Noah’s home phone, I’m at his house.” Evan paused for a moment, trying to wrap his head around her words. “How are you at Noah’s house?” The phone was silent for a moment before she said softly, “I don’t know. I think someone teleported me here while I was sleeping.” 

Just then, Noah’s eyes slowly opened, but they were blank, and devoid of any emotion. Evan turned and saw him, and before Noah could process what was happening, Evan hugged him.

Mary was still on the phone, and she called out “Hello?” 

"It's Noah." Evan told her and she fell silent for a little bit. 

“Evan…?” Noah asked, and Evan pulled back and stared at him with tears in his eyes. “Why, Noah?” Noah didn’t answer, he just hung his head in secrecy. It was clear that he wasn’t going to answer.Evan sighed and looked at him again. “I have plane tickets.” Noah looked up suddenly in confusion. “I figured since Vinny doesn’t want to talk to me that we should go to Florida, and not only that. Look who’s on the phone. Evan handed Noah’s flip phone over, and Mary’s voice boomed out. “Noah? Are you ok?” Noah smiled, happy to hear his aunt’s voice again. “Yeah… I’m fine… But where are you..?”  
“Im at your house, Somehow.” Noah nodded and looked up at Evan. "Do you wanna eat something? It's been a full day without food." “ Nah. We should probably go to the airport n’ stuff. I hate being late.” Noah mumbled quietly. Noah was being awfully quiet, and it was strange that he wouldn't eat.

 

 

“Noah.”

Noah’s eyes groggily opened. In front of him was empty void in every direction. The airplane was gone, and he was alone. this has been a re occurring nightmare, and Noah wasn’t even surprised to see surrounding darkness. Just like last time, Noah couldn’t move, and the scene changed. He was in a house, one he didn’t recognize. Surprisingly, Noah was free to move around this time. He heard a crash from another room, and Noah quickly headed in that direction. Noah stopped in front of a door and heard the noise from behind it. Opening it slowly, Noah peeked inside.

A young girl, who was roughly 7, was sitting on her bed holding a faceless doll. She had long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Noah felt like he had seen her before. She looked up, and saw him. She didn’t seem scared. After a moment, she got up and Noah saw that she was holding a letter. She walked over to him and handed him the note. “Mr Slim told me to give this to you.” She said in a anxious but quiet voice. Noah took it and nodded. Once he took it she seemed to disappear. Noah looked at the envelope. It was basic. He opened it and saw a paper card inside. On the front there was a child’s drawing. A family. A mother, father, and two daughters standing in front of there house smiling. But back in the corner, by some patches of poorly drawn trees, there was Mr Slim, just standing there, watching. Noah was disturbed by the drawing. It must have been his grandparents old home. Where Mary and Noah’s mom lived as children. 

Noah opened the card and almost dropped it when he read the card in his head. In what he hoped was red ink, it said ‘DON’T LET HIM CATCH YOU :)’

Noah looked up and saw Mr. Slim standing outside the girl’s bedroom window. He gasped and ran out of the room quickly and back into the large house. He looked for the front door, and quickly found it. 

He ran outside only to find he was in an open forest.  
He turned around and the house was gone. 

Water could be heard off in the distance, and a small breeze blew past his ear. It was vastly green in all directions, and he could hardly see the sun.all the leaves seemed to cover up the entire sky, except for a few spots. It was peaceful, and Noah didn’t ever want to leave. He calmly began walking towards the sound of running water, and after a few minutes he found himself standing in front of a small bridge with a small waterfall running on the side of it. A long, dark blue river went under the bridge and off into the forest. Noah slowly walked onto the bridge and stopped, trying to take it all in. It had been a long time since feeling something so peaceful…

“Noah.” It was Evan’s voice, echoing out. It was faint, but slowly he heard more and more people’s voices flooding into his mind. Slowly it got brighter and brighter, and Evan’s voice sounded like it was right next to his ear.

 

“Noah, Wake up.” Evan’s voice said. Noah’s eyes snapped open and he saw the airplane had come to a stop. Noah had been sleeping on Evan’s shoulder, and since most of the people on the plane were from Florida, he was getting a lot of weird looks. Evan didn’t mind though, he had his arm wrapped around Noah’s waist. “You up?” Evan asked with a loving smile, and Noah nodded. They didn’t have to wait to get off the plane since they were at the front, and as soon as they got of they plane Noah felt the warm humidity hit his skin. 

 

They got outside and Noah found his car quickly. They both got in, Noah taking the wheel, and started to drive to Noah’s home.

The dark street lights flashed by quickly, and luckily, the drive was only about ten minutes long. Evans saw Noah’s nice house and almost immediately felt like falling asleep just thinking about it. They walked inside and saw Mary sleeping on the couch.

Noah led Evan upstairs and into his room. There was only one bed, making Evan exited. Noah noticed and looked at him with a silly look in his face. “Not tonight. Tonight we sleep.” Evan pretended to pout as he climbed into the cozy bed next to Noah and cuddled him. Noah blushed but didn’t resist. Noah turned out the lamp on his nightstand and quickly fell asleep.

He almost didn’t hear Evan say “I love you.”


	11. Noah, Noah, Noah...

Evan slowly woke with the sun in his face and the covers snuggly pressed against him. He hummed in contempt and turned to the side where Noah was.

But he wasn’t there.

He quickly sat up straight and bolted out of the room to go looking for him. As he reached the staircase he saw Noah sitting on his coffee table. Quietly walking down the stairs he saw Noah was watching Mary. He had a hand on her shoulder.

 

Evan walked over with a bounce in his step and sat down next to him. He saw dark bags under his eyes and he quietly put a hand around Noah’s waist. Noah seemed to snap out of a trance and he quickly looked over at him. After a moment he realized it was just Evan and he slowly tuned back towards Mary. He was still mute. Evan saw it immediately and gently pet Noah’s hair, comforting him somewhat. “Still don’t feel like talking?” Evan asked quietly. Noah grunted a little and slowly leaned into Evan’s shoulder. Evan saw that there was a store bag next to the couch with an unknown box in it. He took it out and saw contact lenses. “Contacts?” Evan asked, confused. Noah nodded quietly. "You went to the store?" Evan asked, and when he saw the receipt, his eyes widened and looked at Noah. "At FIVE?" Noah nodded again. He was being even worse than yesterday. 

That was strange. There was no prescription on them. Why did he need non prescription contact lenses so early in the morning?

Evan saw that Noah was struggling to stay awake and he gently nudged him. “Did you sleep?”

 

Noah shook his head and Evan felt a small pang of worry and pain in his chest. “Why?” Evan asked.  
Noah didn’t answer.

After what happened with HABIT…. Noah was different. He was quiet. Secretive, almost. Evan tried his hardest not to mind, but at the end of the day, the sudden mood change scared him, right down to his core.

The worst part was not knowing when HABIT would come back, and who it would come for.

 

Noah suddenly went stiff, and his eyes widened. Evan cocked an eyebrow and looked to where Noah was staring at. Mary was waking up. She groaned slightly and stretched. Opening her eyes she turned and saw the two men sitting in front of her. She quickly sat up straight and rubbed her eyes. “Thank God you guys are back.” Mary said quietly. “Yeah, nothing crazy on the airplane, luckily.” Evan said sarcastically. They both laughed at the stupid joke, but after a moment Mary saw that Noah was just sitting there, hardly even smiling. He looked sad, maybe even secretive.

“Hey Noah, You alright?” Mary asked, concerned. Both Mary and Evan looked at him questioningly. Noah sighed and nodded. “I’m fine.”

 

He wasn’t much of a talker today, was he?

 

Noah looked pale, too. Even if she could make an excuse up for why he wasn’t talking or showing much emotion, something still felt… Off. Without any warning, Mary got up and wrapped him in a hug. It was all she could really do for him at the moment.

 

Noah just sat for a moment, but then he shocked them both. He started crying.

 

It was subtle at first, just one, maybe two tears, but after a while he started shaking, and when Mary rubbed his back Noah completely lost his cool. He broke down into a crying mess, sobbing in her shoulder and mumbling words that were completely incoherent. Mary held him close, and Evan held his hand, letting Noah slowly start to calm down. He buried his head into Mary’s shoulder, and gripped Evan’s hand tightly. Slowly the tears stopped coming, but he still shook like an earthquake.

 

Neither of them knew exactly what had happened to Noah, but it must have hit him hard.

Mary slowly let go of Noah, and Noah slowly leaned back into the couch, still shaking and with tear  
stains on his face. He was looking down, and he looked worse than either had ever seen him before.

Everyone was silent from the outburst, and Noah sat there, ashamed.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Noah finally spoke.

“I’m sorry…”

Both Mary and Evan looked up at him, confused. Evan was still holding Noah’s hand, and after that comment he held it tighter. “Why were you crying?” Evan asked as softly as he could. Noah still wouldn’t answer that one question. Why was he sad? What had happened to him?

He stayed silent, but he slowly rose out of his chair and sulked into the kitchen. Mary and Evan just sat there in complete shock of what had just happened. They just sat there for what felt like forever, staring at each other. Suddenly, they heard a noise and they turned their heads. Noah was carrying two plates of pancakes for them. He sat them down on the coffee table and sat down on the couch.

“What about you, Noah?” Evan asked, looking at him. Noah brushed off the comment and tried to act like he didn’t have a mental breakdown before their eyes. “I’ll, um, eat later.” Noah said quickly before getting up and walking away, back into his room and closing the door. 

Mary picked up the plate of food and quietly started eating, along with Evan, but they couldn’t get Noah off their minds. Evan looked up suddenly. “He’s getting worse every day.” Mary cocked an eyebrow and Evan continued. “Before the plane ride he was really quiet too. But today was even worse. And just like yesterday, he’s refusing to eat.” Mary suddenly looked up in complete shock. “He’s refused to eat how many times now?” Evan shook his head slowly. “Three times. Once when he first woke up, then on the airplane, then now. He hasn’t eaten for two days, straight. Hell, maybe it's even been THREE days!”

Mary just stared. After a moment she quickly spoke, almost angrily. “Im his aunt. You’re his… ‘friend’, and we both have to help him. I just don’t know how.”

Evan nodded, agreeing, and they both got up and followed Noah up the stairs. Noah was already in his room, and when they reached his door they found out it was locked. They looked at each other, worried, and Mary signaled him to get a pair of scissors so they could try to lock pick the door. Evan was reluctant, as he didn’t think it would work, but he listened anyways.

He quickly grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen before running back up and handing them to Mary. She took them gratefully and bent down to the locks level. Holding out the scissors, she stuck them in and started to pick at the lock. With a small click, she had gotten it open.

She quietly motioned for Evan to stand back, before quietly peeking in the door.

Evan couldn’t see inside, but Mary could. After only a moment she quickly shut the door and gasped quietly. She turned to Evan and looked at him in terror. When he tilted his head in confusion, she took one of her arms and pretended to cut lines across it with the other hand. Evan took a second to realize what it meant, but when he did, he freaked out.

He pushed Mary out of the way and went for the door. “Evan!” Mary whispered angrily, but Evan wasn’t listening. He pushed open the door, not even bothering to be quiet.

She was right. Noah was sitting on his bed, with his face buried in his hands. His arms were covered in cuts and blood, and a glistening knife was on the nightstand. 

He almost immediately noticed Evan standing in the door way. His eyes widened, and he froze completely. They were both frozen.

The window was open, and Noah quickly got up and tried to get out through it, possibly to the roof, but Evan was fast. He grabbed the screaming Noah, who was kicking and thrashing, trying to get out of his grasp. Evan pulled him back by the waist and into his arms, holding him firm and tight. Noah still struggled though.

Suddenly,Mary came in and helped Evan by shutting the window and the door. They both held Noah then, completely subduing him. Noah still tried to fight, tears streaming down his face, and Mary looked up at him in shock.

This was what had happened to Milo. Would she let it happen again?

It was clear that he had some sort of mental illness, which wasn’t surprising considering all the things they had been through, but she never expected this.

They both pushed Noah onto the bed and didn’t let him move. Evan pinned his arms and legs down while Mary ran to the bathroom to get bandages and rubbing alcohol. Evan looked at Noah, so many emotions in his head. There was sadness, shock, maybe even a little fear. “Noah, Noah WHY?” Evan asked, tears starting to spring to his eyes.

Noah looked at him, with an unreadable expression. He spoke in a gravelly and tear stained tone, with words like ice.

“You don’t know what he told me, Evan. You don’t know what he DID to me.”

Noah started shaking, and Evans eyes widened. “What WHO told you?” He said, clearly shocked and worried for Noah. 

“HABIT.” Noah said slowly.

Evans heart stopped. He stared at Noah, and it felt like everything stopped. Noah cried out again, getting loud and frantic. 

“You think he LEFT me when we came here, Evan? You think he STOPPED? No. No… No, Evan. He’s everywhere. He listens to everything I say. He controls me. He followed me here! And he will never leave me. But you know what, Evan?” Noah said, almost balling his eyes out, “Its all worth it. For you. Because I love you.”

Evan was frozen, almost unable to think. He should have known HABIT was still tormenting him. He should have known, but he was so stupid, and forgot. He thought everything was gonna be okay. 

Evan shook softly, and lowered his head, tears freely falling. “What… Did he tell you?”

Noah smiled sadly. “If I told you, I would die.”

Mary stood in the doorway, standing there in shock, and Evan finally noticed. He looked up at her as she walked over and started dabbing the cuts on his arm. Noah hissed in pain and arched his head back. Mary figured it would be best if she just got it over with quickly. 

She got one arm done and moved over to the other arm, still going quick but precise, making sure it didn’t hurt Noah too bad. Once she was done she covered both the arms in bandages.

“Some of those might leave scars.” Mary said quietly. Evan looked down at Noah, but he was back to being silent. Mary walked over to the nightstand and took the knife before walking back downstairs. Noah was still crying a little, but he stopped for the most part. Evan got off of him slowly and wiped his own tears away as Noah slowly sat up on the bed. He was back to not talking. “Noah?” Evan said softly. Noah looked over at Evan, with a face that practically made him lose it all over again. “Can you at least tell me what he DID to you..?” Evan asked softly. Noah sighed and looked at him before standing up and looking at him seriously. Evan didn’t see what he was doing, but after a second Noah put a finger to his eye. Evan freaked out at first, but after a moment, he noticed he was taking off the contacts he got at the store. What did this have to do with anything?

He took both contacts out and Evan saw that the contacts were colored brown. That was Noah’s actual eye color though, wasn’t it? But when Noah looked at him, his eyes were a stunning dark blue color. 

"Why do you think I went to the store at five...? I Couldn't sleep. So I got up and I saw.... This. It's not the only thing HABIT's done, but it's all I can show you." Noah murmured quietly, pointing to what were now his dark blue eyes. They almost seemed to glow. 

Evan gasped slightly. “Why would he change your eyes, especially to something so… Beautiful?” Evan asked. Noah blinked and shrugged slightly. Evan didn’t believe him. “Is that your way of telling me that you’re just not comfortable saying why HABIT did this?” Noah looked away shamefully before speaking. 

“I don’t want to die, Ev.”

Evan sighed, understanding. He didn’t want Noah to die either, so he might as well just go along with what HABIT says Noah can and cannot do.

Noah was going to put the contacts back in, but Evan stopped him. “Why cover up something so beautiful?” Noah looked at him, with a conflicted look in his eyes, before quietly throwing the contacts away.

Evan laid back onto the bed, snuggling into the covers, and beckoned Noah to join him. Noah slowly walked over to the bed and laid next to him. Evan scooted closer to him until their chests were touching, and he noticed Noah was still incredible tense. Evan grabbed Noah and led him into his chest before wrapping his arms around him protectively. Noah slowly let himself relax, his breathing slowed, and his muscles stopped tensing so much. He leaned his head against him completely and sighed quietly. Just before they went to sleep, Evan had to tell him something.

“Noah, I will make this right, I promise. I’ll be with you every step of the way, and we will stop HABIT no matter what.” 

Noah leaned up and kissed his neck before going back down to his chest and pretending to fall asleep. Evan actually did fall asleep soon after.

Noah could still hear HABITS laughter, and it might be a while before he would truly be able to sleep.

 

HABIT would be with him all night.


	12. Sharon's Intervention

Evan had to practically force himself to wake up. Light shone through the windows and it practically blinded him. He looked down and realized that today Noah was still here. Thank god, he didn’t get up at FIVE again. But as Evan looked down he saw that his eyes were wide open. Evan sighed when he realized he still didn’t get a wink of sleep.

Noah noticed that Evan was awake and he quickly sat up. Evan slowly did too, but he was suddenly was caught off guard from Noah’s dark blue and GLOWING eyes.

 

If they weren’t glowing yesterday they sure as hell were now. They were actually giving off a lot of light. Evans eyes widened, and Noah noticed. Noah got really tense from the way he was being stared at, and this only caused his eyes to glow brighter. Evan shook of the shock from his practically magic eyes and got out of bed. Noah watched him as he got out a pair of clothes from his suitcase and went into the bathroom.

Noah slowly let himself relax, and he closed his eyes before sighing and getting out of bed. He put on his brown contact lenses and hoped Evan wouldn’t notice. It was rather dangerous since he didn’t have a mirror, but it worked out fine. He picked out his Half-Life shirt and shorts and was about to change into them when Evan opened the door to the bathroom. Only Evan’s face showed.

“Wanna Join in?” Evan asked in an alluring voice that made Noah’s hair stand up. “I-In the shower?” Noah asked, blushing. “Sure~” Evan said seductively.

Just from his way of speaking, Noah was turned on. He tried not to, but his instinct got the better of him and he slowly walked into the bathroom. 

Evan was already naked, which caught Noah off guard. Noah blushed even deeper before stripping himself down completely as well and starting the shower. Noah paused after a moment though. The bandages on his arm couldn’t get wet, could they? 

Noah turned to Evan and spoke quietly. “What should I do about the bandages..?”

Evan suddenly remembered the bandage and looked at them, thinking. He felt the material and shrugged. “Seems like gauge bandage is water proof.” 

Noah gulped, before turning around and stepping in the shower. As always, Evan was right. The bandage seemed to not absorb the water from how tightly packed the fabric was.

Suddenly, he heard Evan get in the shower behind him, and Noah’s face turned completely red with embarrassment. After a second, though, Noah let himself calm down and he let his head dip under the running shower head. He got himself completely soaked and turned around to get the shampoo. 

Evan pulled them close instead, getting the shampoo on his hands and rubbing it into Noah’s head. Noah felt like he might die of embarrassment as Evan practically played with his hair to get it completely soapy. It felt good, but Noah would never admit it.

Noah was much more fragile and sensitive then he would ever admit, and he was particularly into showing and receiving affection. If anyone were to ever notice that about Noah, it would be Evan, since he’s so good at seeing right into people.

That scared Noah. He didn’t want anyone to know.

Noah tried not to let his soft side show as Evan gave him ridiculous amounts of affection, but it was no use. Noah, without even thinking, leaned in and kissed Evan, right on the lips. Evan was stunned for a second, but he kissed back after a while. After Noah pulled back, he quickly realized what he did, and he turned around and started getting the soap out of his hair, clearly embarrassed. 

Evan just stood there, with the soap still in his hair, completely dumbfounded, before a smile rose to his face. Noah really did have a cute side, and he loved it.

 

Finally, after another 10 minutes or so, they both got out of the shower and dried off.

Noah left the bathroom to put his clothes on while Evan changed in the bathroom. Evan chuckled when he realized that Noah must’ve still been embarrassed from the small kiss he had impulsively given, despite how sweet it was. After getting his clothes on, he walked back into Noah’s room, which was connected to the bathroom. Noah was sitting on the bed, his clothes on and his hair brushed. Noah saw that Evan came out and he looked up.

Evan’s eyes met his and slowly Noah noticed that Evan’s face changed for a moment. “You put your contacts back in?” Evan asked softly. Noah’s eyes darted away for a second. “They freaked you out, didn’t they? They’re not normal. They’re not JUST blue eyes, Ev.”

Evan looked at him strangely. “What do you mean?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. “Well, they can do…. Things, not to mention they glow.” Evan’s eyebrows raised slightly. Things? His eyes can do…. ‘Things?’ 

“Oh, and Evan?” Noah asked, changing the subject. “Yeah?”

“Sorry about that kiss. It was unnecessary.” 

Evan paused from the random change of subject. Noah clearly didn’t want to tell him what was up with his eyes.

 

What Noah had said though only made him smirk. Evan pushed Noah down on the pillow, and before Noah could do anything, he gave him a REAL kiss. It was long and passionate, and it caught Noah off guard. Noah grunted in surprise, but after a few seconds he closed his eyes and kissed back. Evan was practically straddling him, and Noah was getting really exited. They were fighting for dominance, Evan obviously winning, and he kept kissing Noah.

Suddenly the door opened, and they both turned to see Mary crossing her arms and holding a camera. “Knew it!!!” Mary cried, running away with the camera.

Evan ran down the hallway, after Mary, when there came a loud knock at the door.

Noah quickly came out of his room and motioned for them to hide. They both went into Noah’s room and closed the door. 

Noah bounded downstairs and opened the door. He was shocked to see his mother standing in the doorway, angry.

“Hey Mo-“

She quickly silenced him before dragging him outside and shutting the door. 

“Mom, whats going on?!” 

She turned to look at him, her hand still aggressively holding onto his arm, and angrily yelled at him.

“I got a call yesterday. Want to know what it was about?”

“…Do I?”

“One of the neighbors, who is a friend of mine, saw you through your window having an anxiety attack and CUTTING YOURSELF!”

Noah looked at her sadly, and Sharon calmed down a little. “I mean, whats happened to you, Noah? Your sickly and pale, your thin, you look like you haven’t gotten any sleep, AND, your hurting yourself! You need help!”

Noah tried to pull out of her grasp, but to no avail. “Seriously Noah, you need to go to a psychiatrist. I’m planning one for you.”

Noah’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “N-no, mom! I don’t have to go to some freak and get on medication!” Sharon’s eyes burned into his soul. “You DO, and you WILL. End of story. Goodbye Noah, I’ll be back here tomorrow at seven for your appointment.”

And with that, letting go of his arm, she got in her car before driving off. Noah felt tears in his eyes before running back inside and slamming the door. Evan and Mary emerged from his room and looked at him, scared. “Whats wrong, Noah?”

Noah didn’t answer, and he sat on the couch with his bandaged hands covering his face. Mary ran down with Evan and sat down next to him. Noah tried to speak, but he couldn’t. Everything seemed to be against him. He heard people laughing at him, and he completely lost it.

Noah didn’t even realize he was having a panic attack, but Mary and Evan both did. Noah’s breathing fluctuated, he was shaking, and he was practically screaming in stress and fear. Mary quickly got up and wrapped Noah’s ‘favorite blanket’ around him. She rubbed Noah’s back, and Evan gently kissed him on the cheek. They were trying there hardest, and it payed off. Noah slowly let himself relax, and he leaned into Evans chest, crying just a little.

Noah finally calmed down enough to say what happened. He explained what happened with his mother, and how he was going to a doctor the next day. They both listened to Noah quietly, trying to help him calm down. 

Noah sighed. “Y-you know… Maybe I need it. Not a day passes without me crying or some shit.”  
Noah said softly.

Evan and Mary both had no idea what to say.

“Y o u c a n c o p e , N o a h .” Came a small voice from the shadows. all three of them looked up the steps and saw a figure standing on the steps. It was like a living shadow, And both Mary and Noah knew what it was.

A collective member.

“T r u s t m e N o a h . . . i t g e t s s o m u c h b e t t e r.” The voice said again. It was gravelly and incredibly slow and monotone. 

The figure appeared right in front of them, and they all jumped back slightly. “L i s t en t o y o u r m o t h e r w h i l e y o u s t i l l c a n .”

 

With that, the figure was gone, and Noah had calmed down completely. 

Evan was still confused. “Who was that?” 

Noah paused, then looked at Mary. “I honestly think… That looked like Milo.”

Mary froze, then looked at Noah, shocked. “He’s still alive?” Mary asked, incredibly surprised.

“I think so.” Noah replied, and Mary settled down again, still thinking.

“Well.. Whoever it was, was right. I’m going tomorrow, if it makes my mom feel better.” Noah said softly.

 

No one could argue with that.


	13. Doctor

“Noah. Noah, wake up.”

Noah slowly woke up and saw the open night sky above him. He quickly sat up and realized he was outside. This didn’t even look like Florida. 

It was night time, and there were millions of stars in the sky. Noah saw that he was on a hill, or mountain, and he was in an open area surrounded by trees. It was cold, and he definitely knew that his home was far away.

He saw a wooden building, looking abandoned and empty, and he figured he might as well go inside. Maybe there would be a map lying around so he could see where he was.

As he started walking, the breeze seemed to die down a little, therefore making it a little less cold. Noah was relieved by this, and he stated walking faster towards the building.

Once he reached the old wooden doors, he opened them with ease. When they opened he took a moment to look around, and he stepped back. 

It was a house, it seemed. There was a large stairway to the side, and a table with 7 chairs all around it. He walked inside the house and felt a strange sensation crawling down his back. A chill that wouldn’t go away. It was strange.

He looked at the table, and walked towards it, hoping maybe there would be a map or some other indication of where he was, but there was nothing.

He sighed and turned around, heading for the stairway. As he walked up the staircase, the strange chill running down his spine was getting worse, almost as if he was getting sick.

He didn’t like this feeling at all.

Once he was upstairs, he realized that there was only 2 doors, one on each side.

He went into the door at his right first, and quickly saw that it was a master bedroom. A large, dusty bed was in the middle room, and there was a nightstand to the side of it. Noah, being as curious as he was, walked over to the nightstand and opened one of the shelves. To his delight, there actually was a paper map, folded underneath an old book.

Noah took it gratefully, before turning around and leaving the room quickly.

He was about to leave the house when he realized he still had to go in the other room. He started walking over to the door, and just before he touched the door handle a sickening feeling made him practically fall over. What was this feeling? Whatever it was, it wasn’t a good sign. He opened the door as fast as he could and his eyes widened in shock.

There were 2 bunkbeds in the room, and one regular bed on the side. It looked dusty and old, just like the rest of the house. For a second, he could have sworn he saw 5 children sleeping in the beds, but when he blinked, there was nothing.

“Noah.”

Noah’s head jerked up, and he turned around slowly to see who could have possibly followed him. His eyes widened slightly when he saw who it was.

It was his childhood doctor. He couldn’t remember what his name was, but he remembered what he had looked like. He had a sturdy structure, short brown hair, and a pair of glasses that covered up his dark brown eyes. He looked much older, and Noah couldn’t believe he was seeing him.

Noah stepped back slightly in shock, and the doctor chuckled.

“Calm down, Noah. Everything’s fine. You’re at my old home.”

Noah paused and looked around. “Yes, Noah. I lived in this house for a long time.”

Noah nodded quietly, and tried to think of something to say.

The old, almost sickly man chuckled before re adjusting his glasses and speaking firmly. “You can call me James.”

Noah smiled slightly and looked up at the doctor he had always looked up to as a child. “I’m assuming that, since you probably did not remember my name, you probably don’t remember why we met, either?” James asked.

Noah froze. Why DID he have a re occurring doctor as a child? James definitely wasn’t a doctor for physical needs… Maybe he was a therapist?

Noah shook his head quietly.

James only laughed. “It makes sense that you don’t remember. But…”

Noah cocked an eyebrow, but he still didn’t speak.

“You should probably wake up. Don’t keep your mother waiting.”

 

 

Noah’s eyes snapped open, and immediately wished he hadn’t.

Sunlight practically blinded his eyes, and he sat up on his bed. Great, he had been dreaming. For some strange reason, he didn’t remember his childhood ‘doctor’ very well, it was all very blurry. He tried to think about what James was there for, but it was like the memories were completely gone. Maybe he could ask his mother about it.

Noah put on a plain blue shirt and plaid shorts before walking downstairs, where Mary and Evan were waiting.

“Well its about time you woke up, sleepyhead.” Evan said as Noah sat down next to him. When Noah didn’t respond, Evan planted a kiss on his cheek, making him turn red. Evan chuckled and handed him a plate of waffles, but Noah didn’t look interested. 

Evans smile faded slightly. “It’s been days since you’ve eaten, you have to be hungry.” Noah looked at him, then at the plate. He slouched over and mumbled something incoherent, making it obvious he wouldn’t eat. Evan sighed and set the plate back down before gently hugging Noah for a split second. Noah sighed and buried his face into his chest, but he didn’t move after that. No more crying, no more anxiety, nothing. Evan pulled back and saw that Noah’s blue colored eyes were a little teared up for a second, but he quickly blinked it away. “Its almost seven, Sharon’s probably waiting for you.” Mary said. Noah nodded and got off the couch.

He headed towards the door, and just before he left, he turned around and waved just a little bit, as if it was his way of saying ’bye.’

Then Noah was gone, and Evan turned to Mary. “He still won’t eat, and I think he’s even worse than before.”

Mary cocked an eyebrow. “Worse? How?” 

Evan shook his head. “Before, he would cry if he was sad, and he would break down under pressure. I think he still does, but he’s hiding it. In my opinion, thats even worse because we have no idea what he’s thinking.”

Mary nodded. After a moment she realized something and asked him, “Was he wearing contacts?”

Evan shook his head again. “No, HABIT did something to his eyes.” 

Mary took what was going to be Noah’s waffles and put them away before sitting back down.

Mary sighed and looked down. “How are we going to help him? I mean, he’s having mental breakdowns, he won’t talk, and he’s not eating. What could HABIT be doing to him?”

Evan hesitated before finally speaking. “I don’t know.”

 

Noah walked outside, and immediately saw his mothers car parked in the driveway. He saw Sharon look out the window, right at him, and she tried to smile.

Noah walked over glumly and got in the passengers seat. As soon as he closed the door the car was driving. 

Noah put his seatbelt on and sat completely silent, looking out the window. He could feel his mothers eyes on him, but he tried to ignore it. 

“…So, Noah. How… Have you been?”

Noah didn’t answer. There was nothing to say. Nothing to say to Evan, to Mary, and there was definitely nothing to talk about with his mother, either. He’s pretty much just given up.

The lack of communication put Sharon on edge, and she gently tapped Noah’s shoulder. He turned and looked at her, with a rainy look in his eyes, and she decided to just leave him alone.

Noah could hear HABIT talking to him quietly in his head, and he tried his hardest to ignore it. It definitely wasn’t easy. He wished his mind could just be silent, but it never was.

Maybe the reason why he didn’t speak was because he had too much going on in his head. 

 

“We’re here.” Sharon said cheerfully, and Noah sighed. Sharon shut up real quick when she realized that she only made it worse. They both got out of the car and walked into a large building made of metal and stone.

It looked like any sort of professional building would, with a modern look, glass tables with magazines, and a counter with a very young and cheerful look plastered on her face.

“Good evening, Ma’am, how can we help you today?” She said in a chipper voice, and Sharon faked a smile. Noah probably didn’t look very happy, with the bags under his dark blue eyes and a sad look.

“Hi, my son here has an appointment for 7:30.”

“Okay, can you tell me his full name please?”

“Noah Maxwell.”

Noah flinched at his name, and he stood behind his mother. He was afraid of being looked at, especially in a place like this.

After a moment, though, he realized he looked silly and stepped over so that he was on the side of his mother. He watched as the small woman behind the counter typed on her computer for a few seconds, before looking up with the same damn smile as before.

She stood up and walked out from behind the counter and by two double metal doors.

“Right this way, Mr. Maxwell.”

Noah froze for a second before timidly following the smiling woman behind the doors. Just before he did he heard the front door close. His mother must have left.

Noah tried to act as normal and ‘not curious’ as possible as he and the smiling woman walked down the hall. 

The smiling woman, who was named Monica, stopped in front of the last door on the left and knocked quietly. A deep, yet kind mans voice came from the other side of the door.

“Come in.” 

‘Monica’ stepped back and waved as she headed back towards the front office, and Noah looked at the door. “No need to be afraid.” the voice said in a cheerful yet calm voice.

Noah hesitantly opened the door, and slowly walked inside. He was in a small room, with a comfortable looking couch, a desk, and a large window allowing light to shine through. There were many bookshelves with psychology books and knick knacks on top, and multiple plants that were most likely not fake. 

The Psychiatrist waved happily and smiled at him. “Hello, Noah. take a seat.”

Noah shook a little from the pressure and stress of being in a psychiatrists office, but he listened. He slowly sat down on the couch and looked up at the psychiatrist, clearly a little anxious.

The psychiatrist looked rather nice. He was wearing a long, light blue shirt, jeans and sneakers, and he had gray hair ,with a pair of big glasses and calming green eyes. It calmed Noah down a little when he realized this man was just a person, like him.

“So, Noah, my name is Dr. Patterson. I’ll b the one talking you through this, okay?” Noah nodded, a little bit more comfortable. Dr Patterson smiled calmly before picking up a clipboard and a pen, and resting them on his legs. He sat in a chair a few feet in front of Noah, and Noah sighed a little. This might take a while.

“So, Noah, you from here?”

He nodded. He wasn’t going to talk unless he had to, and the cheery doctor was probably going to start with more trivial questions.

“I see. Do you have a lot of friends around here?”

“Three.” Noah answered softly. In terms of friends, he had Connor, Kevin, and… he supposed he could call Evan a ‘friend’.

He saw the psychiatrist scribble a note down on his piece of paper and Noah stayed silent.

“How often do you see your friends?” Dr. Patterson asked. Noah thought for a while before telling him, “Evan I see everyday, but I haven’t seen Connor of Kevin for a long time.”

“How long?”

“Years.”

“I see. Have you tried going out and making more friends?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t really feel comfortable meeting new people.”

The gray haired doctor scribbled more notes down before continuing to speak in his kind, calming voice. “Why don’t you like meeting more people?”

“It’s not like they would actually like me.” Noah said honestly, and it was true. He was a weird person, not to mention he was being followed by shadow people and a rabbit loving demon.

The now not so cheery doctor seemed to turn a little sad when he heard this, and he wrote it down. “When you wake up in the morning, how do you feel?”

“Tired, sad, maybe a little lonely.”

“Hmm. How much sleep do you usually get?”

“In the past month or so, probably less than an hour.”

Noah felt a little better telling someone the truth, but he wished he could have talked to someone else, like Evan or Mary. The difference was though, he didn’t want to be seen as weak to Evan, and especially not Mary, but this doctor wasn’t going to be in his personal life for long.

 

The questions kept coming for an hour, and he answered all of them honestly. But it was starting to get tiring. Noah knew his time was almost up, and the doctor only asked one more question, but it made his blood turn to ice.

“Do you ever think about suicide?”

Noah froze. He didn’t want to answer. Should he lie, or tell the truth? He sighed and looked up at him for a long time.

“Sometimes.”

With that, their time was up. He saw the doctor scribble down the last piece of information, before shaking Noah’s hand,bidding him farewell and giving him his card. He asked if they should have another appointment, and Noah told him next week would be ok. He left the calming office and started his way back out to the front.

Opening the double doors, he didn’t see his mother, but he saw Monica. She looked at him and smiled kindly. Noah started thinking, maybe her smile was actually real, and not something just plastered on for crazy people. He left the building, and saw that his mother wasn’t there.

Maybe he should just walk. 

It was dark outside, probably around nine. Unlike the dream he had last night, there were no stars in the sky. He didn’t have a phone, and he couldn’t call his mother. His house was probably 15 miles away.

He could ask Monica for help, but…

“Noah!”

Noah turned and saw Dr. Patterson coming out of the building, clearly getting ready to leave and go home. “Is your mother coming?” He asked. Noah shook his head. “She’s probably sleeping.” He said quietly.

“Need a ride?” Asked the doctor, and Noah shrugged. “I could walk…” Dr. Patterson raised an eyebrow. “How far away is your house?” 

“About 15 miles.” Noah said simply, and The Doctor looked at him seriously. “In no way is that necessary. Come on, Noah.”

Noah wanted to resist, but it WAS a free ride.

He followed his psychiatrist to his car and got in the passengers seat timidly. Once Dr. Patterson got in he asked him for his address. Noah told him “3005, 4th Avenue East”

Noah didn’t realize he was falling asleep until he almost went completely unconscious, but he stopped himself from it. Dr Patterson was talking to him a little along the way.

“I’ll have your diagnosis ready for you during our appointment next week.” He said in a calm voice, and Noah nodded.  
…

Dr. Patterson really liked Noah, to be honest. He was quiet and respectful. 

But that was what made him even more worried for the boy.

He most likely had something along the lines of depression or anxiety. Maybe even both, and Noah was clearly in a dark place. He would help him.  
…

“Ah, here we are.” The psychiatrist said, and Noah looked out the window. There was his house. The lights were on, and Noah assumed that Evan and Mary were still awake. He thanked Dr. Patterson for his time and the free ride, and got out of the car. He bid farewell to the doctor once more before shutting the passengers door and watching the car drive away.

Noah yawned and walked into his own home. Just as he expected, Mary and Evan were waiting on the couch.

Evan got up and hugged him gently. “Hey Noah.” He said cheerfully, and Noah actually spoke back a little bit. “hi.”

 

It was a very small response, but it made Evan really happy. Mary also greeted him with open arms, and she was also happy to hear him utter a single word. Once Noah sat down they both started asking him a million questions. “How was it?” They both asked, and Noah actually smiled a little. “Fine.” He said softly. 

“Thats a relief. Was Sharon ok?” Mary asked.

“She didn’t come back.”

Mary’s eyes widened. “She didn’t come back?” Noah shook his head. “Then who drove you back?” Evan asked incredulously. “My doctor.” Noah said quietly.

“Ohhh…” Mary said, understanding. “What kinds of things did he ask you?” 

“…”

Mary noticed that Noah went silent, and she immediately changed the subject. “You hungry?”

“I guess…” Noah said.

Evan popped up, and went to the kitchen. After a few minutes he came back with a bowl of soup. Noah took it gratefully and ate it down faster than a wolf. Evan chuckled when he saw this and took the bowl back, putting it away. he saw how tired Noah looked and he gently petted Noah’s hair. “You tired?” He asked softly. Noah nodded and slowly rose up, intending to go to his room and sleep. Evan looked at Mary and told her hat he was going to bed with him. She nodded and turned the living room light off, before curling up and falling asleep on the couch.

Evan quickly followed Noah upstairs and into his room. Noah was already halfway asleep, and Evan chuckled quietly. He got under the covers next to Noah, and slowly relaxed.  
He heard Noah yawn, and Evan gently scooted closer to him. To his surprise, Noah actually backed up, almost completely against Evan. Noah was silent then, and Evan let is arms wrap around him comfortably.

Noah was dead asleep, and not long after, so was Evan. It was probably some of the best sleep Noah got. Why? For some reason, HABIT wasn’t really bothering him at the moment, and his mind wasn’t being bombarded with nasty things said by him. 

He could actually sleep easily.


	14. The Stubborn and The Burdened

“N o a h . . .”

 

Noah woke up suddenly, and expected there to be sunlight, but there wasn’t. It was still dark outside.

He turned and saw that Evan wasn’t there. When he listened closely he actually heard Evan talking to Mary downstairs. Who had said his name?

“N o a h , o v e r h e r e .”

Noah turned towards the source of the voice and his eyes widened. A collective member was sitting on his desk, looking at him intently. Noah would scream, but he kept himself from it. It was Milo, or ‘Mr. Scars.’  
“Milo…?” Noah asked quietly, and the figure nodded. He stood up suddenly, and walked over towards Noah’s bed. Noah froze for a second, but he calmed down a little when Mr. Scars just sat down on the end of his bed. 

“H a b i t i s t r o u b l i n g y o u ?” Mr. Scars asked, and Noah nodded. “It’s my fault. I let him control me so he would leave Evan alone.”

Mr. Scars sighed. “T h e r e i s a m u c h b e t t e r s o l u t i o n t h a n t h a t .” He said, and Noah looked up at him questioningly. “D o y o u r e m e m b e r m y m o t h e r ‘ s s a f e ?” Mr Scars asked, and Noah nodded quietly. 

“T h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g i n t h e r e t h a t H a b i t wa n ts . Th a t s w h y h e h a s t a k en y ou a s a p u p p e t . ” Noah blinked, trying to process what he had said. “A n d D o N O T t r u s t F ir e b r an d , h e ha s ch a n g ed . ” 

“What?” Noah asked, then he remembered what happened when he had gotten back from the hospital after meeting Mary. “H-he attacked me AND Mary, of course he shouldn’t be trusted!” Mr. Scars nodded. “ I h a v e so m e t h i ng f o r y ou.” 

 

Mr. Scars came forward and placed a small silver chain around Noah’s neck. “W e a r t h i s a n d H a b i t c an ’ t h a rm y o u . B u t h e m a y t ry s o m e t h i n g els e . ” 

Mr. Scars got up, and just as he was about to leave, Noah asked, “Milo?”

“Y e s , N o a h ? “ Came Mr. Scars’s voice, and he turned around. He was taken by surprise when Noah got up and hugged him. Mr. Scars only stared for a moment, before wrapping his arms around Noah and patting his back. Mr. Scars couldn’t help but cry a little, despite how he wasn’t supposed to. But this was his cousin, who he hadn’t seen in years.

“I missed you.” Noah said softly, and Mr. Scars nodded. “I m is se d yo u to o, No ah.” He replied, his voice getting more human. A noise came from outside, loud and fiery, and suddenly, Mr. Scars quickly let go of Noah and he spoke quietly.

“Its Firebrand, you have to go. Go down stairs and stay with Evan and Mary, while I try to hold him off. Hurry!” 

Noah nodded quickly, and with one last hug, he ran out side his room and down the stairs. Mr. Scars turned his head towards the window and saw Firebrand, smirking.

 

…

 

“Ev!” Noah called out as he bolted downstairs. Evan and Mary both looked up in confusion and fear. “Noah? What happened?” Evan asked, but Noah shushed him quietly. “Milo… Came here…. told me Firebrand was coming…. Not good intentions….” Noah panted, out of breath, and everyone fell still. “Firebrand?” Asked Evan.

“Screw Firebrand, MILO?” Mary asked frantic, and she tried to run up the stairs. Noah grabbed her sleeve and warned her. “Don’t go up there, Milo’s fighting Firebrand off!”  
Mary didn’t want to listen, but she did. He sat down on the couch, and Noah sighed. Without even thinking, Noah cuddled himself into Evan in nervousness. Evan held him close as a loud noise came from the upstairs.

Suddenly, a figure was right in front of them, and it punched Evan in the nose. He screamed in pain and his grip on Noah loosened, allowing enough time for the figure to take Noah into his arms. “Give him back!” Evan cried out angrily, but the figures pinhole eyes and smile showed that he wasn’t going to. Noah kicked and struggled, but it was no use.

“Firebrand, You bastard!” Came Mary’s voice, loud and angry, and Firebrand only spoke in a quiet and deadly voice.

“Listen here, you little bitch. Stay out of my way. I don’t know how you’re here, but you won’t be for long.”

Noah screamed out, “Evan!”

And with that, Firebrand was gone, and Mr. Scars ran down the stairs too late. “Shit , Noah !” 

But Firebrand was already gone, with Noah in his arms, probably kicking and screaming.

 

 

Mr. Scars stood there, in shock and in fear, while Evan had a look of pure rage on his face. He turned to Mr scars and grabbed the collar of his shirt. “WHERE THE HELL DID HE TAKE NOAH?!” He yelled angrily. Mr. Scars was struggling to answer, and after a moment Evan almost hit him. 

Luckily, Mary pushed Evan away angrily and yelled at him. “Obviously if he KNEW, he would TELL us.”

Mr. Scars looked at Mary, softly and sincerely. When Mary turned back and saw the look on his face, she teared up.

“Milo..”

She pulled him into a hug and cried, and Mr Scars hugged back. He sobbed into her shoulder and they both stayed like this for a long time. Evan looked at them, confused and angry, and sighed in defeat.

Mary finally pulled back and said, “I wish we could have met under…. better circumstances.” She sniffed and wiped her tears away while Mr. Scars did the same. “I think Firebrand might have taken Noah to the Collective realm.”

Mary and Evan both looked at him, confused, and Mr. Scars continued. “It’s where The Tall Man’s servants all live, and its very dangerous.”

“W-well how do we get him back then?” Evan asked, calming down a bit, and Mr. Scars sighed heavily.

“I have to go there and get him back. It won’t be easy, but its Noah, and I have to help him.”

“What is Firebrand trying to do to Noah?”

“…He’s going to try turning him into one of us.”

Mary gasped, and Evan almost fainted. “One of.. You? Why?”

“Since you have come back, Cursor has ceased to exist in our realm. You are her vessel, and they’re going to replace her with Noah.” Mr. Scars said quietly, and he turned around. “I should probably go get him back, before its too late.”

 

“Wait, shouldn’t we come?” Mary asked, and Mr. Scars shook his head. “You’re not one of us.”

 

Suddenly, Mary smirked. “But Cursor is.”


End file.
